Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath, India recognized as UNESCO Word Heritage

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“Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath” was oficiall inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming India’s 45th property to receive this recognition. This global accolade celebrates India’s enduring cultural legacy, showcasing its diverse traditions of architectural brilliance, regional identity, and historical continuity.

The inscribed serial property comprises two component parts – Chaukhandi Stupa and the Archaeological Remains of Sarnath– located within Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Together these two components preserve the architectural and archaeological remains of the ancient site of Sarnath, known in the Buddhist tradition under different names – Rishipatana, Ishipatana, Mrigadava. They all refer to a sacred geography, where the Buddha visited in the 6th century BCE and delivered his first sermon known as the “Turning of the Wheel of the Law” (Dharmachakra pravartana).

This event marked the inception of the Buddhist sangha and the establishment of the principles of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Indicated by the Buddha himself to be one of the four key sites of Buddhist pilgrimage, Sarnath developed over centuries through royal, monastic and lay patronage. Numerous stupas, temples and viharas were constructed around what is believed to be the place of the first sermon of Gautama Buddha and the site where he met his first disciples. Having seen decline in the 12th century CE and subsequent destruction, it fell into obscurity until its re-discovery in the 18th century.

The site comprises an ensemble of ancient monuments constructed from the pre-Mauryan period (5th-4th centuries BCE to 3rd century BCE) up until the destruction of Sarnath in the 12th century CE (with some later additions).

Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2289399&reg=48&lang=1